Q. Why should I sign up for the Smart Receptionist Service?A: The primary reason you should sign up for the Smart Receptionist Service is to ensure that all your incoming calls are answered professionally even if you are unavailable. When a customer or prospective client calls your business during normal office hours they expect their call to be answered in person. When you divert your calls instantly to voicemail without the interaction of a switchboard operator it gives the impression that your business is so small that it doesnt even need a receptionist to handle the call volume. Another reason why a receptionist will benefit your business is the fact that most first time callers will hang up on a voicemail rather than leave a message and wait for you to call back. Most likely they are looking for some basic information about your business that a receptionist could easily provide them with. If there is no one there to answer their questions immediately they will find someone else who can: your competitors!

Q: How long does it take to get started?A: In most cases, your account will be up and running within 4-6 hours after registration.

Q: Do you charge a setup fee?A: There is no setup fee when you sign up for at least six months of service. If you are signing up for less than six months a small setup fee will apply.

Q: Could I change my plan in the middle of my contract?A: Yes. You can change to a higher or lower grade plan in the middle of your contract as long as you notify us at least three days before your monthly contract ends.

Q: Do you provide answering services 24 hours a day?A: No. We are an extension of your office so we keep regular business hours: Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM and on Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Q: Can you provide services after regular business hours?A: Yes. Please notify us one day in advance.

Q: How soon will I receive notification that a call has come in for me?A: Immediately. You will be notified with the callers name, contact number, and a brief message as soon as the receptionist hangs up the phone. You will receive your messages when you check your email or your phone for new SMS text messages. Please note that network congestion and errors on the Internet or with the SMS facility may cause unavoidable delays.

Q: How do I receive my messages?A: The messages taken by the receptionist can be delivered by email, fax, pager, or SMS text messaging. If you would rather have the receptionist verbally relay the messages to you we can provide that option too. If you signed up for the private voicemail or a receptionist plan you can retrieve your messages by calling 1-718-407-1750 and dialing your extension (this is the last 4 digits of your SmartStaff phone number). Another convenient way to keep track of your messages is by visiting the client login page in order for you to view all your messages at once.

Q: Ive used other answering services before and I want to make sure that you dont let the phones ring endlessly.A: SmartStaff promptly answers all calls to ensure your clients are not left waiting tirelessly for someone to assist them. We make great efforts to be properly staffed at all times so we can provide you with the best possible service.

Q: How does the billing work?A: Services are paid for by credit card. When you sign up for any of the SmartStaff Services we will charge your card for the first month. After that you will be billed on the last working day of the month for the next month's service charge. Please note that all calls exceeding your plan will be billed along with the following months service.

Q: Do I get a bill or a statement every month?A: You will receive an invoice marked paid every three months. All minutes exceeding your plan will be itemized on the invoice.

Q: How secure is my billing and company information?A: Your billing and company information is encrypted and stored on a secure server. All company information are password protected on our computers and only accessible to designated SmartStaff employees.

Q: How do I sign up?A: Call us toll free at 1-888-28-STAFF (78233) or fill out the Contact Us page and one of our Business Solutions Specialists will contact you to discuss which is the best plan to suit your needs.

Q: Why choose SmartStaff over one of those cheap answering services I see in the classified section of my local newspaper?A: An automated answering service does not provide your customers with the attention they desire. Choosing SmartStaff is essential to your marketing campaigns that is why most of our clients prefer to budget SmartStaff into their marketing expenses rather than their operational costs. If you paid for an expensive advertisement with your contact number displayed you obviously want individuals to call you. Now, what if more than half of your potential clients hung up on your voicemail, would you think you wasted your money on that expensive ad campaign by using that cheap answering service?
Avoid the risk of losing potential sales by using a SmartStaff Receptionist.

Q: How well are your receptionists trained for my business?A: We can customize our database with an enormous amount of company data including informative details about all your products and services so that our receptionists will be extremely knowledgeable about your company.

Q: What else can SmartStaff do?A: We offer unlimited business solutions. We can print and mail your catalogs, make follow-up calls, conduct surveys, and schedule or confirm all your appointments. Let us know what you need and we will provide you with the solution.